A Fresh Start
by mugglelover27
Summary: Chelsea had nothing. Until she was shipwrecked on Sunny Island that is.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: This is my first attempt at a Harvest Moon Fanfic, so let's hope it goes well. Last night it was storming and I couldn't get to sleep because every time I was close to it some lighting would flash and wake me back up. Then I started thinking of the beginning of IoH and all of a sudden I had this story in my head. I hope you like my version._

_~~~Kat_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Harvest Moon or its characters. I do not work for Natsume._

Stranded

She had nothing. Her mother, a single woman, had died in childbirth. She was taken to an orphanage and grew up with no last name. She was simply known as Chelsea. Kids weren't often adopted from that orphanage and Chelsea was stuck there until she was too old. Then she was simply kicked out and given a handful of money to help her start out.

From the minute she stepped out onto the street she knew she had to get away from that place. She had lived there all her life and knew there was nothing for her in that town. Her only option was to leave. So she took the money she was given and bought a boat ticket. The boat was headed for a place called Mineral Town. Chelsea had never heard of it before, but it sounded like the perfect place to start fresh.

While waiting for her boat to board she did the only thing she could think of. She walked down to the docks, sat on a bench and watched the waves roll in. The ocean had been her companion all her life. She loved the sound of the waves and the soft breeze that always came to greet her. Put simply, the ocean was her only friend.

As she sat there Chelsea couldn't help but overhear a conversation between a ship captain and a silver haired cowboy.

"Sorry," said the ship captain, "I'm not setting off tonight."

"You mean I'm stuck in this hellhole another night?" the cowboy grumbled. Chelsea smirked, understanding what he meant.

"I'm not riskin' it in those storms, so ya." Replied the captain gruffly.

"Hmph." Was the cowboy's only answer before he turned to walk off. However, his gaze was caught by Chelsea, giggling behind her hand at the cowboy's loss of words. "What're you laughing at?" he accused.

"Oh… n-nothing." The girl replied as she met his gaze only to notice his violet colored eyes. She blinked in surprise and could have sworn she saw a smile dance across his lips before he stalked off. Then she saw her boat was boarding.

Chelsea was pleased to find out her ticket came with a private cabin for the night. She sat on the bed and looked out the porthole style window to watch the water go by. Then she saw a flash of lightning. "What was it that captain said about storms?" She thought to herself worriedly. Soon the boat began rocking violently from sudden, powerful gusts of wind and she heard rain hitting the deck above her.

Chelsea gathered up her courage and went up on deck to hear what was going on, what needed to be done and if she could help. When she reached the top of the stairs a clap of thunder sounded and Chelsea was being drowned in a torrential rain. She saw a large, dark wave rise above the boat, and then everything went black.

Chelsea woke up lying on a beach of clean, gold colored sand. It was day and the sun was bright and warm. She sat up, a bit too quickly, she realized when she became very dizzy, and looked out at the deep blue ocean before her. Where was she?

"Hello?" she heard someone say behind her. "Miss?" she turned to see an old man standing behind her. "Were you on the boat too?" she slowly nodded her head. The short old man looked at her. "I suppose I should introduce myself. I'm Taro."

"I'm Chelsea." She answered, standing up to shake his hand.

"Well, Chelsea, how about you come and meet my family." He suggested and led her to what looked like an abandoned town. Three people were standing in a group. "Chelsea, I would like you to meet my daughter, Felicia." Taro announced pointing to a pink haired woman. "Hello." She said with a kind smile. "And these are my grandkids, Natalie and Elliot." He said gesturing to a girl and boy, both of whom also had pink hair. They were about the same age as Chelsea. They both kindly greeted her. "It seems we all have been shipwrecked on this abandoned island. Since we're stuck here we're going to have to learn to live here." Taro finished.

"We think we found an abandoned ranch over there." Elliot announced pointing to the upper side of the island.

"And it seems that we could repair this old house." Felicia said looking at the building they were standing in front of.

"Sounds good." Said Taro as Natalie gave an unhappy sigh. "Elliot, did you say a ranch?"

"Yep." The boy answered.

Taro looked at Chelsea. "Do you think you could take it on? Become a rancher?"

"…Maybe." Chelsea was beginning to feel that Taro was a bit senile. Her, run a ranch? How? "I have no experience."

"I have some. I could teach you. What do you say?"

"Alright, I'll do it." She replied as they all walked to the abandoned ranch. The house wasn't in too bad of shape. There was a wood shed, stable and acres of fields.

"I'll be back tomorrow morning to teach you a few things." Taro told Chelsea as they said their goodnights.

That night Chelsea lay in the old bed in the house wondering how all this had happened so fast. One day she was leaving an orphanage and the next she owned her own ranch. She fell asleep happy, if not a bit scared.

Chelsea was awoken the next morning by Taro banging on her door. "Chelsea!" he called, "Are you up yet?"

Chelsea wrenched open the door. "I am now."

"Sorry." Taro said, looking a bit sheepish. "You're going to have to get used to waking up early from now on." Chelsea sighed but followed him out into the fields.

After Taro had finished teaching her about how to plant and grow crops Chelsea was horribly tired. She trudged her way down to the beach she had woken up on and sat down where sand meets water. The waves washed up around her feet as if in apology. "It's alright." Chelsea said quietly, feeling a bit crazy for talking to water. "I think everything will work out." And so she spent her first sane evening on the island gazing out at the most beautiful spring sunset while the waves lovingly rolled in around her ankles.

_A/N: That was chapter one! How did you like how I threw Vaughn in there already? I'm pretty proud of myself. Chapter two is rolling around in my head and will be coming soon… hopefully. I am leaving on Saturday and will be gone for three weeks, but I should have a lot of down time in the last two weeks. So, expect more soon. Thanks for reading!_


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Sorry I took so long to get it up, but here it is! Chapter 2 has finally arrived! The creative juices haven't really been flowing for me lately. You remember that long vacation I mentioned in my last authors note? I really did mean to write then….. but my sister got me watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer… Again. So, all of my free time lately has been consumed by Buffy. Sorry for the wait. I hope you enjoy this chapter!_

_~~~Kat_

_Disclaimer: I still do not own the characters or any of the things you recognize from the game. I just enjoy manipulating the storyline!_

New Acquaintances

By the second week on the island Chelsea had become tired of waking to the sound of knocking on her door. If it wasn't Taro coming to wake her up and teach some things about farming it was a new resident to the island.

The few people who had shown up in the run-down town were nice and Chelsea enjoyed their company. There was Chen and Charlie, the merchants. Chelsea had taken a liking to Ganon, the gentle-giant of a carpenter, and had soon adopted him as the father she had never had. Next came Mirabelle and Julia who opened an animal care store in an old renovated barn. Julia, Natalie and Chelsea were soon a tight group of friends, often spending their free time talking on the beach. All in all Chelsea was content with her life on the island. It was comfortable and she felt welcome.

One morning she was awoken by a particularly loud knock on her door. The sound startled her and she jumped up in her rickety bed. Only seconds later there was another, even louder, knock. "Well," she mumbled to herself as she swung herself out of bed, "Someone's impatient." She tiredly shuffled her way over to the door and wrenched it open, the hinges squeaking irritatingly.

Standing on the other side of that door was someone Chelsea recognized, even if they never actually met. A young cowboy with silver hair and violet eyes was staring down at her. Chelsea remembered him from when she was waiting to board the boat that got her stranded on the island in the first place. He pulled his hat down over his eyes as he introduced himself. "Morning." He began. Chelsea couldn't help but notice how quiet his voice was for someone who knocked so loudly. "The name's Vaughn. I work with livestock. I'll be staying with Mirabelle two days a week."

He looked at her expectantly. "Oh." She shook herself out of her tired daze. She had just woken up, who could blame her? "I'm Chelsea. I… I suppose I run this ranch. It's still a bit of a new concept to me." She gave a weak smile.

"I suppose we'll be doing business then. See you around." And with that he walked away.

"Well isn't he nice and easy to relate to." Chelsea said sarcastically to herself as she began her day.

By noon Chelsea had watered her crops and tidied up her land a bit. It was still a disaster but looked a bit better. There was still an abundance of weeds but the new rancher had succeeded in building, what could be considered, a stone fence around the land. With that finished she headed off to see Julia and Natalie. They had agreed the previous day to have lunch together.

Chelsea entered the animal store to find Julia and Natalie sitting at the front counter. The two girls were conversing and Julia had a picnic basket in hand. They heard Chelsea arrive and immediately jumped up. "Finally!" Natalie said jokingly.

"We've been waiting forever!" Julia joined in. "We've decided to turn this lunch into a picnic! What do you think of going to the beach?"

"Sounds great to me!" Chelsea answered her friends. Friends. That was a nice word for Chelsea to think of. She had never really had friends.

The group of girls happily made their way to the beach and set out their lunch. Julia began the conversation. "So, what does everyone think of my cousin?"

"Your cousin?" Chelsea asked, a bit confused.

"Vaughn, the new animal trader. He's my cousin."

"I don't really have an opinion yet." Natalie answered. "He introduced himself and left. It's not much of an impression to go off of. If I had to say anything I'd say he's boring."

"You have to get to know him. He's pretty nice….sometimes." Julia commented. "What do you think, Chelsea?"

"I think pretty much the same thing…. But I have seen him before, believe it or not."

"When?" Julia asked, intrigued. So Chelsea told her friends the story of her departure and how Vaughn had caught her laughing at him. "That's kind of cool. Small world, right?"

Natalie then chimed in with, "I wonder if he remembers seeing you."

"I doubt it. He didn't seem to when he introduced himself this morning." The young rancher replied as the girls continued to relax on the beach.

It just so happened that the quiet cowboy did remember the blue eyed girl from the docks. He remembered her laugh, soft and joyful. He also remembered her startled expression when he confronted her, and he remembered watching her board her ship and wondering where she was headed. He had asked where the vessel was going. The answer he received was "Mineral Town."

For some reason Vaughn had gone to Mineral Town and searched for her. He hadn't found her and instead heard the news that the ship she had boarded was caught in a storm and sank. The cowboy had left the island with a cloud over his head.

When she opened the door earlier that day he was confused but happy and did his best to suppress a smile. He had instinctively pulled his hat down over his eyes to hide his happiness.

He smirked at these memories as he made his way down to the beach on his first afternoon on the island. When he arrived at the beach he saw his cousin, Julia, talking with the pink haired girl he had met earlier and the blue eyed rancher whose name, he had recently learned, was Chelsea. He thought he heard the pink haired girl whisper "Speak of the devil," but dismissed it as he approached the small group of giggling girls.

"Hello, Vaughn!" Julia said cheerily. He could always expect her to have a smile on her face and happiness in her voice. He sometimes wished he was more like that, but he found it too difficult.

"Hello." He replied quietly. He let his gaze land on Chelsea for only a moment before once again instinctively pulling his hat down over his eyes.

"I was expecting more of a 'howdy there' from you." The girl with the pink hair teased him.

"Don't mind Natalie," Chelsea told him, "she's always like this." As she said this she playfully tugged on her friends pink locks. Vaughn nodded at her and turned toward the sea.

Vaughn had always loved the sea. It had so many different moods, much like himself. He could relate to the sea. Always traveling, changing location, never really staying in one place. Looking at the sea calmed him. The sea was like his home.

He never truly felt like he had a family. His father had left when he was born and his mother died a month later. He was taken in by relative after relative. No one kept him for more than a year before handing him off to the next in line until he was old enough to take care of himself. Once he was able Vaughn got a job trading livestock and had been traveling for work ever since.

Chelsea watched Vaughn turn toward the sea and look off into it. He seemed to be deep in thought. She suddenly felt the need to know what he was thinking about.

"So, shall we wrap up this lunch? The sun is starting to set and I think we've cut into dinner now." Julia said, bringing Chelsea out of her reverie.

"Sounds good. I'm getting tired. Life on this island really takes it out of you." Natalie chimed in.

"No kidding." Chelsea added. "You don't have to work on a farm everyday either."

"I don't envy you."

The girls gathered up their things and said goodbye. Julia and Natalie left the beach and headed home while Chelsea gathered up her rucksack.

She heard the shuffle of feet behind her as she bent down to gather her things."I-if you ever need help on your farm, uh… you can ask me."

Chelsea stood up to face Vaughn. "Th-thanks." She replied. Then she slung her rucksack over her shoulder. "I'll, um, see you later."

"Ya. Later." Vaughn stated abruptly. Chelsea turned and walked home. Little did she know she had left a cowboy gazing after her, wondering why he had just offered his help.

_A/N: I'm sorry it took me so very long to post it, but there is chapter two! You can thank a snow day for this accomplishment. I hope I can keep this up. Question? Comments? Just ask or you can leave me a lovely review! Here's hoping I get chapter three up soon. Thanks for reading!_


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: Aren't you a lucky bunch! Here it is! Chapter three! And only a matter of days after I posted chapter two! I am so proud of myself! Guess what?! I'm working on chapter four RIGHT NOW! Ahem…Sorry for that outburst. I apologize for how formal the conversation is in this chapter, but while writing it I am watching the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice. Without further ado here is chapter two! (I rhymed!)_

_~~~Kat_

_Disclaimer: I do not now nor will I ever own the characters or any of the things you recognize from the game. I just enjoy manipulating the storyline!_

Wondering

The next morning Chelsea woke of her own accord and not because of someone banging on her door earlier than she liked. Sadly, it was right after a dream that someone was knocking on her door. She decided to accept the fact that she would never be able to sleep past six in the morning.

Looking at her fields Chelsea decided she would water her crops and leave the rest for the day. She wasn't up to hauling stones across her land or chopping wood and pulling weeds. Instead she wanted to spend some time exploring now that Gannon had smashed the boulder blocking off another part of town.

Chelsea walked down into town to meet Natalie. "Hey, Nat!" She called out to her friend. "I'm off to explore the new part of town, you wanna come?"

"I would if I could, believe me," Natalie replied, "but we have a lot of work today. If I get done early I might meet you."

"Okay, see you later then." With that Chelsea made her way to the animal store.

Upon entering the renovated barn Chelsea sat down at the counter and had a chat with Mirabelle. To Chelsea Mirabelle was like an aunt or other close relative. "Chelsea!" Julia said happily when she saw her friend. "Why are you here so early?"

"I decided to explore the new part of town today. Do you want to come?"

"I wish I could, but I have some work to do. Maybe I'll meet up with you later."

"Alright then. I can deal with some exploring alone today." She then said goodbye and went on her way.

While she walked eastward toward the newly recovered part of town she saw Vaughn out of the corner of her eye. He was standing next to the animal store and she considered going to talk to him, but realized she had no idea what she could talk to him about. Instead she just continued on to the field.

Vaughn watched as Chelsea walked in the opposite direction of him. His mind instantly went to the thought that she shouldn't be wandering the island alone. It could be dangerous and no one had yet gotten the chance to examine the new land since Gannon smashed that boulder.

The cowboy then decided to follow her but only to make sure she didn't get hurt. At least that's what he told himself. He wouldn't admit it even in his mind but the truth was that he wanted to get to know this girl. She interested him though he wasn't sure why.

He waited a few minutes before following the path she had taken. It wasn't long until he saw her. She was lying on her back in the grass with her eyes closed. He stopped in his tracks and looked at her for a moment. What was she doing? Was she asleep? He took a few more steps before suddenly slipping in a patch of wet grass and falling. So much for making sure _she_ didn't get hurt.

Chelsea shot up in her place and looked at him. "Oh, Vaughn, hello!" She said with a hint of shock in her voice. "A-are you alright?"

"I'm… fine." Vaughn replied, blushing slightly in embarrassment.

Chelsea couldn't help but let out a small giggle. Vaughn glowered at her slightly. "I'm sorry. I couldn't help it." She quickly apologized as she stood up and offered him her hand. He hesitantly took it and she helped him up.

"W-what were you doing?" he asked in his now signature quiet voice.

"Oh! I was just admiring the moment." She answered with a smile as she walked a few steps toward the river. Vaughn noted the skip in her step. She had such a happy disposition.

"What moment?" The cowboy was a bit confused.

"Being on the island."

"What's so great about that?" he questioned gruffly.

"Well aren't you chatty today!" the blue eyed rancher teased. "If you must know… It's my first home. I feel welcome here; as if I have a family." She sat down and swung her legs so they hung over the river. A moment passed and Vaughn said nothing. "Back to your usual quiet self I see."

Unexpectedly Vaughn sat down next to Chelsea. "I just don't know what to say is all."

Chelsea stared at Vaughn for a second in confusion. "You're acting very… different."

"Sorry." Was all he said.

"No, don't be sorry. It just surprised me is all."

He didn't say anything more and neither did she. They sat in, what could be considered, a companionable silence for the next few moments until he stood and excused himself, saying he had more work to do. Chelsea sat a moment more replaying the events.

Later that very same day Chelsea walked into the animal shop to visit Julia. She hadn't taken two steps into the building when Mirabelle exclaimed "Chelsea! Why, you've come at the perfect time. Julia was just about to visit you so she could give you a little gift from us."

"A-a gift? I couldn't accept anything; you already do so much for me."

"Oh, but we insist." And then she called Julia into the room.

In Julia's hands was a little yellow chick. It cheeped happily and pecked at the bird feed in the blond girl's palm. "Here," she said handing the chick to Chelsea. "She's yours."

"She's precious!" the rancher said in awe as she held the fuzzy yellow creature in her palms. It looked up at her and she fell in love with the little thing. "I'm going to name her… Delilah!"

"If you get a rooster don't name him Samson." Vaughn joked from the corner.

Chelsea looked at him and giggled. "No, I won't." She noticed a smile playing on his lips for only a slight moment before he pulled his hat down over his eyes.

"Oh, Vaughn," Mirabelle said as Chelsea left for home, "would you please bring this chicken feed to Chelsea's coop?" Vaughn accepted an armload of bags and walked with Chelsea to her ranch.

After leaving the chicken feed and the little chick, Delilah in the coop Vaughn walked Chelsea to her door. "I'll be leaving early tomorrow morning." He said quickly and quietly.

"Oh, yes. So, I will be seeing you next week?"

"Y-yes…. Next week. Um… Goodnight."

"Goodnight."Chelsea replied as Vaughn left.

"Oh dear." She said to herself as she retreated into her home. "It seems he's gone back to being quiet." Once more she replayed the events of earlier that day. He had just started to act, what she must assume, was more like himself. She knew there was someone interesting beyond his silent exterior. She just had to try to break through his mask. Earlier that day she had been so close to getting to know him; if only she could have another chance she knew she could demolish that barrier.

As Vaughn walked back to the animal store that night he reflected on his earlier encounter with the blue eyed rancher.

"If you must know… It's my first home. I feel welcome here; as if I have a family." Is what she had said. What did she mean by that? He thought. He would be forced to wonder until he got to know her better, which he intended to do. The next week would be one full of anxious waiting. He didn't know why but Chelsea intrigued him and he wanted to spend more time with her.

Vaughn left the island the next morning feeling different. He couldn't explain it, but something about him had changed.

_A/N: Well, there you have it, chapter three! I hope it was to your liking. Big thanks to everyone who has reviewed or put this story on their favorites/alerts list. You all are the absolute best! Questions? Comments? Just give me a quick review or a PM. Yes, that was an allusion to Samson and Delilah. Here's hoping chapter four is up soon. I will be busy for the most part the next two weeks, but if I get time I will definitely keep this story going. Thanks for reading!_


End file.
